President Rodrigo Duterte has sided with China in its proposal to conduct a joint probe into the June 9 incident involving an anchored Filipino fishing boat and a Chinese vessel in the disputed West Philippine Sea.
“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte welcomes and accepts the offer of the Chinese Government to conduct a joint investigation to determine what really transpired in Recto Bank and find a satisfactory closure to this episode,” Malacanang announced June 22.
Prior to the Palace announcement, foreign affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin warned against a joint probe, saying it would “intrude” into the “sovereignty of both countries.”
Yet, pending the results of the probe, Duterte described the incident, which could have drowned 22 Filipino fisherfolk in high seas, as a “little maritime incident”. His statement not only drew the ire of critics; it served as a turning point in the seemingly evolving narrative.
On Friday, Duterte likened the incident to a road crash: “Parang bungguan ‘yan sa (It’s just like a road crash on a) highway. It is not a confrontation of armed men and machines or ships.”
“It is not an attack on the country’s sovereignty,” the president said.
In this timeline, VERA Files compiled the evolution of statements on the June 9 incident and the issues surrounding it.
The timeline focused on three issues: if what happened was deliberate or if it was an allision; the abandonment of the 22 Filipino fisherfolk, a violation of international maritime laws; and the Philippines’ position on the joint investigation proposed by China.
Sources
Department of National Defense and Philippine Navy
- Delfin Lorenzana Official Twitter Account, Statement of Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana on the collision of a suspected Chinese and Filipino fishing vessels near Recto Bank, June 12, 2019
- ABS-CBN News, ‘The ship was rammed’: PH Navy chief says Reed Bank incident not normal, June 14, 2019
- Rappler, Lorenzana on Filipino boat sinking: ‘It’s just an accident,’ June 19, 2019
Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin
- @teddyboylocsin, Chinese vessel sinks Philippine boat in Recto Bank, June 12, 2019
- @teddyboylocsin, Our statement at the International Maritime Organization, June 14, 2019
- @teddyboylocsin, We cannot investigate w/ China nor China investigate w/ us — that intrudes into each other’s sovereignty, June 15, 2019
- @teddyboylocsin, PH statement at the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, June 17, 2019
- @teddyboylocsin, There will be no joint investigation. China and Philippines will conduct their respective investigations, June 21, 2019
Malacañang
- Presidential Communications Operations Office, Press Briefing of Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Salvador Panelo, June 13, 2019
- ABS-CBN News Youtube, Abandonment of Pinoy fishermen in sea ‘collision’ violates UNCLOS: Panelo, June 14, 2019
- Presidential Communications Operations Office, Press Briefing of Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Salvador Panelo, June 17, 2019
- Presidential Communications Operations Office, Press Briefing of Presidential Spokesperson and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Secretary Salvador Panelo, June 18, 2019
- Presidential Communications Operations Office, On the joint investigation over the Recto Bank incident, June 22, 2019
- Philstar, Duterte OKs joint probe on fish boat sinking, June 23, 2019
- Rappler, Duterte agrees to joint probe of Recto Bank incident, June 22, 2019
- Reuters, Philippines’ Duterte accepts China’s proposal to jointly investigate collision, June 22, 2019
Filipino Fishermen
- ABS-CBN News, Philippine boat captain asserts: ‘Binangga, tinakasan kami,’ June 14, 2019
- Rappler Youtube, Captain belies China claim on West PH Sea sinking incident, June 14, 2019
- Rappler, China claims ship ‘besieged by 7 or 8 Filipino boats,’ June 14, 2019
- Rappler Youtube, PH boat’s captain: Chinese ship intentionally sank us, June 14, 2019
- ABS-CBN News, Captain of boat sunk by Chinese to meet Duterte, demand justice, June 17, 2019
- ABS-CBN News Youtube, Kapitan ng nabanggang bangka umatras sa ‘pulong’ nila ni Duterte, June 17, 2019
- Philstar, Boat captain dismayed over Duterte’s remarks on Recto Bank collision, June 18, 2019
- ABS-CBN News, ‘Parang balewala lang’: Fisherman laments Duterte remark on Chinese ‘hit-and-run’, June 18, 2019
- Rappler, Sunken boat’s captain: ‘Parang balewala ang pagbangga sa amin’, June 18, 2019
- Rappler, PH boat captain changes tune after meeting with Piñol, June 19, 2019
China government
- Official Twitter Account Chinese Embassy-Manila, Press Release on the so-called collision of fishing boats between China and the Philippines, June 14, 2019
- Official Facebook Chinese Embassy-Manila, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson’s Remarks on China-Filipino Fishing vessels Collision Incident, June 17, 2019
- Philippine News Agency, China proposes joint probe on Recto Bank incident, June 20, 2019
- ABS-CBN News, China proposes joint probe over Reed Bank incident, June 20, 2019
- Business World, China proposes joint probe with PHL on boat sinking, June 20, 2019
Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy
- Rappler, ‘Daplis lang’: Duterte exec downplays China ship ramming PH boat, June 16, 2019
- ABS-CBN News, Agri Sec. Piñol, captain of boat hit by Chinese vessel talk to reporters, June 18, 2019
- Official Facebook Account Manny Piñol, Statement of DA Sec. Manny Piñol On Alleged Bribery and Intimidation, June 20, 2019
- Philippine News Agency, Gov’t pours aid on rescued fishermen, June 19, 2019
President Rodrigo Duterte
- RTVMalacanang Youtube, 121st Philippine Navy Anniversary (Speech), June 17, 2019
- Presidential Communications Operations Office, Speech of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte during the Oath-taking ceremony of Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte, June 21, 2019
Vietnam government
- VNexpress International, All gestures, no words as Vietnamese fishermen saved 22 Filipinos, June 18, 2019
- ABS-CBN News, Vietnamese ship’s owner supports account of Filipino fishermen in Reed Bank, June 19, 2019
- Vietnamplus, Spokeswoman makes clear Vietnam’s views on trade fraud, sea-related issues, June 20, 2019
- The Saigon Times, China urged to stop hindering Vietnamese fishing boats, June 20, 2019
- Vietnam Breaking News, Vietnam demands China’s due compensation for fishermen, June 20, 2019
(Guided by the code of principles of the International Fact-Checking Network at Poynter, VERA Files tracks the false claims, flip-flops, misleading statements of public officials and figures, and debunks them with factual evidence. Find out more about this initiative and our methodology.)
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